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Skeleton Crew: Nona
Nona is a short horror story by Stephen King, first published in the 1978 anthology Shadows, and later collected in King's 1985 collection Skeleton Crew.
1 pages, Audiobook
About the author
Stephen King
2,137 books902k followersStephen Edwin King was born the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his father left them when Stephen was two, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father's family was at the time, and in Stratford, Connecticut. When Stephen was eleven, his mother brought her children back to Durham, Maine, for good. Her parents, Guy and Nellie Pillsbury, had become incapacitated with old age, and Ruth King was persuaded by her sisters to take over the physical care of them. Other family members provided a small house in Durham and financial support. After Stephen's grandparents passed away, Mrs. King found work in the kitchens of Pineland, a nearby residential facility for the mentally challenged.
Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.
He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.
Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.
Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.
He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.
Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
October 18, 2020
3.5*
"En el sueño la veo andando hacia mí. Viste una túnica blanca, casi transparente, y su expresión es de deseo y triunfo combinados. Llega hasta mí cruzando una oscura habitación con suelo de piedra y yo huelo a secas rosas de octubre. Sus brazos están abiertos y yo voy hacia ella con los míos extendidos para abrazarla.
Siento pavor, repugnancia…, e indecible nostalgia. Pavor y repugnancia porque sé qué clase de lugar es este, y nostalgia porque amo a esa mujer. Siempre la amaré. A veces deseo que la pena de muerte existiera todavía"
"Somos gatos escapados del mismo saco, me parece.
Creo que dijo gatos. Así lo creo. Lo creí entonces. Pero he tenido tiempo para pensar, aquí dentro, y más y más me parece que ella debió haber dicho ratas. Ratas escapadas del mismo saco"
Es un relato que por momentos es un tanto onírico y en otras partes resulta muy ambiguo. Con algunos flashbacks del pasado del protagonista, que no aportan demasiado.Imagino que son para justificar cierta patología de base que tenia y que nada esta dentro de parámetros muy normales.
Tiene un dejo melancólico y deprimente.
Creo que en su misma ambigüedad recae el peso del relato para bien y para mal y en la atmósfera...lo vuelven interesante.
"En el sueño la veo andando hacia mí. Viste una túnica blanca, casi transparente, y su expresión es de deseo y triunfo combinados. Llega hasta mí cruzando una oscura habitación con suelo de piedra y yo huelo a secas rosas de octubre. Sus brazos están abiertos y yo voy hacia ella con los míos extendidos para abrazarla.
Siento pavor, repugnancia…, e indecible nostalgia. Pavor y repugnancia porque sé qué clase de lugar es este, y nostalgia porque amo a esa mujer. Siempre la amaré. A veces deseo que la pena de muerte existiera todavía"
"Somos gatos escapados del mismo saco, me parece.
Creo que dijo gatos. Así lo creo. Lo creí entonces. Pero he tenido tiempo para pensar, aquí dentro, y más y más me parece que ella debió haber dicho ratas. Ratas escapadas del mismo saco"
Es un relato que por momentos es un tanto onírico y en otras partes resulta muy ambiguo. Con algunos flashbacks del pasado del protagonista, que no aportan demasiado.Imagino que son para justificar cierta patología de base que tenia y que nada esta dentro de parámetros muy normales.
Tiene un dejo melancólico y deprimente.
Creo que en su misma ambigüedad recae el peso del relato para bien y para mal y en la atmósfera...lo vuelven interesante.
September 13, 2026
'Nona' was published in 1978 as a part of 'Terrors' series edited by a renowned Charles Grant.
The story is being narrated by an unnamed and completely unreliable narrator who is imprisoned after committing several gruesome murders. He retells an adventure he experienced during the last night of his life as a free man.
Castle Rock and Maine again are the 'playground' for this rather tight tale. Being expelled from college our orphan narrator is trying to return home. Being penniless he is hitchhiking ... alas without much success. Bitter cold winter adds to his misery and he tries to get warm in a local truckers diner. As soon as he enters his eyes are captivated by a girl who is sitting there alone surrounded by rough truckers. In a split second our narrator picks up a fight and discovers a freshly developed rage in himself...inspired or induced by the girl (Nona). After almost killing the unfortunate trucker on the parking lot, he runs away accompanied by Nona...and their short, yet thrilling adventure begins. Along the way we learn much about narrator's love life, his infatuation with Betsy and rivalry with one Ace Merrill (a well know Castle Rock villain).
I won't spoil the plot much further. I will only say that King leads us to some 'unexpected' places. The story feels like Bonnie and Clyde done the Castle Rock way, with a touch of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Of course, we get some of King's trade mark ingredients...rats, for example. And quite a lot of them! The ending is open to interpretation, even though most of the readers will have a clearly formed opinion about it.
I must say that 'Nona' works very well upon rereads, even though the major plot point/twist is being known. However, the reader is invited to figure it out along the way, if he chooses the 'rational theory' and dismisses any supernatural elements.
The story is being narrated by an unnamed and completely unreliable narrator who is imprisoned after committing several gruesome murders. He retells an adventure he experienced during the last night of his life as a free man.
Castle Rock and Maine again are the 'playground' for this rather tight tale. Being expelled from college our orphan narrator is trying to return home. Being penniless he is hitchhiking ... alas without much success. Bitter cold winter adds to his misery and he tries to get warm in a local truckers diner. As soon as he enters his eyes are captivated by a girl who is sitting there alone surrounded by rough truckers. In a split second our narrator picks up a fight and discovers a freshly developed rage in himself...inspired or induced by the girl (Nona). After almost killing the unfortunate trucker on the parking lot, he runs away accompanied by Nona...and their short, yet thrilling adventure begins. Along the way we learn much about narrator's love life, his infatuation with Betsy and rivalry with one Ace Merrill (a well know Castle Rock villain).
I won't spoil the plot much further. I will only say that King leads us to some 'unexpected' places. The story feels like Bonnie and Clyde done the Castle Rock way, with a touch of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Of course, we get some of King's trade mark ingredients...rats, for example. And quite a lot of them! The ending is open to interpretation, even though most of the readers will have a clearly formed opinion about it.
I must say that 'Nona' works very well upon rereads, even though the major plot point/twist is being known. However, the reader is invited to figure it out along the way, if he chooses the 'rational theory' and dismisses any supernatural elements.
December 31, 2025
OH MY GOD, I JUST FINISHED NONA AND I AM LITERALLY SO ANNOYED! 1 STAR BECAUSE IT WAS WAY TOO LONG FOR ABSOLUTELY NO REASON! 📉🚶♂️🚫 I was screaming at the pages for the plot to actually start, but it just kept dragging on and on!
The whole "road trip with a mysterious girl" vibe had potential, but it felt like a never-ending walk in the cold that led to nowhere! 😭❄️ I was clutching my head because the pacing was so slow I felt like I was aging in real-time while reading it. I get that Nona is supposed to be this "magnetic" and dangerous figure, but the story just didn't have the spark to justify how long it took to get to the point! It’s a 1-star because my time is precious and this was peak "could have been an email!" 💤🛑
I am literally yeeting this story into a snowbank! If you want to see if you have more patience than I did (spoiler: you probably won't!), it’s in the Skeleton Crew collection at Simon & Schuster or Amazon, but honestly, SAVE YOURSELF THE WALK! ✨🚶♂️📉🚫💤
The whole "road trip with a mysterious girl" vibe had potential, but it felt like a never-ending walk in the cold that led to nowhere! 😭❄️ I was clutching my head because the pacing was so slow I felt like I was aging in real-time while reading it. I get that Nona is supposed to be this "magnetic" and dangerous figure, but the story just didn't have the spark to justify how long it took to get to the point! It’s a 1-star because my time is precious and this was peak "could have been an email!" 💤🛑
I am literally yeeting this story into a snowbank! If you want to see if you have more patience than I did (spoiler: you probably won't!), it’s in the Skeleton Crew collection at Simon & Schuster or Amazon, but honestly, SAVE YOURSELF THE WALK! ✨🚶♂️📉🚫💤
October 26, 2019
This was a four star read, but it gets a bonus because it not only takes us to Castle Rock, ME, but also has characters from Stand by Me in it! Ace Merrill and Vern Tessio specifically, though they're secondary.
I would like to know if the main character .
This is definitely worth checking out if you want all the details concerning Castle Rock denizens.
I would like to know if the main character .
This is definitely worth checking out if you want all the details concerning Castle Rock denizens.
July 6, 2020
This is a great story about a man hitchhiking through the country. He meets a girl named Nona at a truck stop. Events that can only be described as magic or fantasy occur. The two begin by hitchhiking and go on to take the world by storm. The two kill many people, and it is unusual that when witness tell what happened, there was only one person responsible for the crimes. Nona only seemed to exist in his mind.
April 12, 2022
This is one of the better stories in the Skeleton Crew selection. The best aspect of Nona is that on top of being a pretty good horror story it also references several characters from "The Body" and Castle Rock. This story concerns a mysterious woman who impels a man to violence.
July 27, 2021
3.5 stars
August 1, 2018
Kolejna krótka nowelka autorstwa Stephena Kinga. Opowiada ona o mężczyźnie, który w momencie czytania przez nas tej historii, spędza czas w więzieniu, skazany na karę śmierci i pisze swoją powieść. Wspomina tam o dziewczynie, której na imię Nona. Opisuje tam, że odczuwał do niej sympatię, mimo, że nie znał jej długo, bo spotkał ją na drodze niczym zwyczajną autostopowiczkę. Nona namawia go do zamordowania kilku losowych przechodniów, będących tylko i wyłącznie w nieodpowiednim miejscu, w nieodpowiednim czasie.
Ciężko mi ocenić tę historię, bo była ona zdecydowanie za krótka, ale ogólnie czytało się ją dobrze oraz trzymała w napięciu. Bardzo ciekawiła mnie postać Nony, ponieważ chciałam zrozumieć jej motywację, że chciała koniecznie namówić głównego bohatera do zamordowania losowych przechodniów oraz to co stało się po fakcie dokonanym. Warto zapoznać się z tą nowelką.
Ciężko mi ocenić tę historię, bo była ona zdecydowanie za krótka, ale ogólnie czytało się ją dobrze oraz trzymała w napięciu. Bardzo ciekawiła mnie postać Nony, ponieważ chciałam zrozumieć jej motywację, że chciała koniecznie namówić głównego bohatera do zamordowania losowych przechodniów oraz to co stało się po fakcie dokonanym. Warto zapoznać się z tą nowelką.
February 25, 2021
Nona is the story of an unnamed narrator who falls in love with a young hitchhiker and suddenly feels compelled to do her violent bidding. He gets into a fight at a truck stop—odd because he doesn’t really fight people—and something snaps. He kills three people and takes off with Nona in an attempt to escape to Castle Rock. More murder and mayhem ensue and it quickly becomes obvious that Nona’s presence is the reason for the narrator’s instability. Near Castle Rock, Nona morphs into a huge rat, laughs at him, and disappears. The narrator then learns that no one else ever saw Nona. It was just him the whole time (or was it?). While nothing spectacular in terms of theme or imagery, Nona is just the right mix of psychological horror and straight-up gore with a fast pace and eerie atmosphere that will pull you in.
April 18, 2020
The story begins with an unnamed man being held in prison, recounting his life as a college dropout who met and fell in love with a beautiful girl named Nona meeting at bar roadside bar. The narrator not a good person by nature pick up this girl and made a journey to somewhere that only that Nona knew. By the time they were on the road hitchhiking car and doing murders in horrific way everything drastically changed when finally he found the place where Nona wants to take him. When the narrator find out where exactly he was he tried to regret it but it was too late for that to reconsider, so he did what he needed to do. He went into Nona's arm...
January 4, 2018
I listened it as an audiobook and it is incredible interesting. There was a point on the story where I was so focused on it, that I actually stop what I was doing to just listen because I was completely intrigued about what was going to happen next with the narrator. I really enjoyed it.
July 19, 2023
4.5*
From Skeleton Crew
From Skeleton Crew
November 21, 2025
I quite like the 'Bonny and Clyde' esque story, but it could do without the constant flashbacks that - to me - felt like an annoying interruption of a way more interesting story.
February 11, 2016
Nachdem ich bereits einige Kurzgeschichten von Stephen King gelesen habe, musste ich auch unbedingt "Nona" lesen. "Nona" ist die siebte Geschichte der sogenannten "Story Selection", bei der wöchentlich eine neue Kurzgeschichte veröffentlicht wird.
Das Problem ist bei Stephen King ja immer, dass sich der Autor nur selten wirklich kurz fassen kann, von daher sind Kurzgeschichten häufiger ein wenig schwierig. Dieses Problem ist auch leider bei "Nona" aufgetaucht. Die Geschichte ist zwar interessant, allerdings wurde sich zu sehr an kleineren Details aufgehalten, was ich dann doch ein wenig schade fand. Dennoch ist die Geschichte nach bester King-Manier wieder einmal gut ausgetüftelt und konnte für kleinere Gänsehautmomente sorgen.
Die Geschichte ist schnell erzählt: Der Ich-Erzähler, der namenlos bleibt, lernt in einem Restaurant Nona kennen. Er ist direkt fasziniert von ihr, merkt aber auch, dass sie etwas ausstrahlt, dass ihn dazu bringt, die Fassung zu verlieren und gewalttätig zu werden. Nach einem Zwischenfall in einem Restaurant, trampt er gemeinsam mit Nona durch die Städte und bemerkt dabei immer mehr, dass in ihm eine Veränderung beginnt, die auch für seine Mitmenschen eine Gefahr darstellt.
Auffällig ist hierbei, dass die knapp sechzig Seiten lange Geschichte oftmals sehr brutal und wirr daher kommt, was aber vollkommen beabsichtigt ist und gegen Ende gut aufgelöst wird. Viele Figuren, allen voran der Ich-Erzähler, bleiben namenlos, sodass es manchmal schwer gefallen ist, sich voll und ganz auf die Figuren einzulassen. Dennoch bringt die Geschichte auf ihre ganz eigene Art und Weise eine Faszination mit sich, sodass ich immer mehr wissen wollte, was es mit Nona und den vielen Gewalttaten auf sich hat.
Das Cover ist kein wirklicher Hingucker und ist sehr schlicht, was sehr gut zu den anderen Geschichten der "Story Selection" passt. Die Kurzbeschreibung liest sich dagegen sehr gut und hat mich direkt angesprochen, sodass ich der Geschichte sehr gerne eine Chance gegeben habe.
Kurz gesagt: "Nona" ist eine an sich spannende Geschichte, bei der sich King allerdings zu sehr an kleineren Details verbissen hat und die Geschichte somit unnötige Längen mit sich brachte. Dennoch ist "Nona" für jeden King-Fan ein absolutes Muss, sodass ich die Kurzgeschichte trotz kleinerer Schwächen empfehlen möchte.
Das Problem ist bei Stephen King ja immer, dass sich der Autor nur selten wirklich kurz fassen kann, von daher sind Kurzgeschichten häufiger ein wenig schwierig. Dieses Problem ist auch leider bei "Nona" aufgetaucht. Die Geschichte ist zwar interessant, allerdings wurde sich zu sehr an kleineren Details aufgehalten, was ich dann doch ein wenig schade fand. Dennoch ist die Geschichte nach bester King-Manier wieder einmal gut ausgetüftelt und konnte für kleinere Gänsehautmomente sorgen.
Die Geschichte ist schnell erzählt: Der Ich-Erzähler, der namenlos bleibt, lernt in einem Restaurant Nona kennen. Er ist direkt fasziniert von ihr, merkt aber auch, dass sie etwas ausstrahlt, dass ihn dazu bringt, die Fassung zu verlieren und gewalttätig zu werden. Nach einem Zwischenfall in einem Restaurant, trampt er gemeinsam mit Nona durch die Städte und bemerkt dabei immer mehr, dass in ihm eine Veränderung beginnt, die auch für seine Mitmenschen eine Gefahr darstellt.
Auffällig ist hierbei, dass die knapp sechzig Seiten lange Geschichte oftmals sehr brutal und wirr daher kommt, was aber vollkommen beabsichtigt ist und gegen Ende gut aufgelöst wird. Viele Figuren, allen voran der Ich-Erzähler, bleiben namenlos, sodass es manchmal schwer gefallen ist, sich voll und ganz auf die Figuren einzulassen. Dennoch bringt die Geschichte auf ihre ganz eigene Art und Weise eine Faszination mit sich, sodass ich immer mehr wissen wollte, was es mit Nona und den vielen Gewalttaten auf sich hat.
Das Cover ist kein wirklicher Hingucker und ist sehr schlicht, was sehr gut zu den anderen Geschichten der "Story Selection" passt. Die Kurzbeschreibung liest sich dagegen sehr gut und hat mich direkt angesprochen, sodass ich der Geschichte sehr gerne eine Chance gegeben habe.
Kurz gesagt: "Nona" ist eine an sich spannende Geschichte, bei der sich King allerdings zu sehr an kleineren Details verbissen hat und die Geschichte somit unnötige Längen mit sich brachte. Dennoch ist "Nona" für jeden King-Fan ein absolutes Muss, sodass ich die Kurzgeschichte trotz kleinerer Schwächen empfehlen möchte.
November 12, 2025
Oooo I liked this one a lot !
How crazy!
How crazy!
January 27, 2024
3.5/5
The end of this story made me laugh. It’s so…weird. And horrifying. But before you get to the end, you have to get thru the beginning and middle, and all the jumps back and forth in time thru the narrator’s present and his past. The time-jumping made me yawn. I felt confused by it as I was listening to the audiobook.
But the main part of the story? The part about the narrator’s time spent with Nona? I loved it. The narrator seems obsessed with Nona, like she has some sort of hold over him. It’s like he’s compelled to do her bidding, and the stuff he does for her is really bad.
But that ending? 🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻
Nona is included as part of the Skeleton Crew collection.
The end of this story made me laugh. It’s so…weird. And horrifying. But before you get to the end, you have to get thru the beginning and middle, and all the jumps back and forth in time thru the narrator’s present and his past. The time-jumping made me yawn. I felt confused by it as I was listening to the audiobook.
But the main part of the story? The part about the narrator’s time spent with Nona? I loved it. The narrator seems obsessed with Nona, like she has some sort of hold over him. It’s like he’s compelled to do her bidding, and the stuff he does for her is really bad.
But that ending? 🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻
Nona is included as part of the Skeleton Crew collection.
November 3, 2025
incredible
January 2, 2022
An interesting murder/horror story with a touch of Gothic mixed in. It has King's familiar touch of the mind's slow decay into madness. Love goes wrong and life can get away from you - sometimes the mind just can't handle what it's put through.
January 27, 2013
Do you Love?
Yes; Stephen. Yes I do love you!
Yes; Stephen. Yes I do love you!
March 10, 2019
An exceptionally good book about teenage love. It is not just about young love, but, young love gone wrong and how life can get out of hand.
May 13, 2019
3.5 stars
Surprisingly decent story. I really liked the ambiguous ending.
Surprisingly decent story. I really liked the ambiguous ending.
July 10, 2020
"Killer" of a short story! I especially liked the horror twist at the end. Very good!
September 11, 2021
Not a bad short story that seems to be of a killer who may or may not be crazy.
January 2, 2022
Well written and creepy. I love it!
June 16, 2022
7 out of 10
September 15, 2022
A creepy Bonnie and Clyde story.
January 10, 2023
Ace Merrill & Vern Tessio 😳😳
January 18, 2023
A great short story, i would really like to see this made into a full book.
5/5
5/5
January 27, 2024
Is she real? Is she in his mind? Who knows! I certainly don't. Good read though!
July 13, 2024
Bonnie and Clyde with King twist
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews